With 400 entries for a fabulous 14-race programme, the Silverstone International Trophy (17/18 May) is going to be another highlight of the 2014 season for the Historic Sports Car Club.

Sensational entries across the weekend will put huge grids of cars onto the full Grand Prix circuit, with single-seaters, sports, GT and touring cars from the 1950s to the 1980s in action.

With a massive 72-strong entry the Guards Trophy is as strong as ever and requires two grids. A key feature this weekend will be the ‘big banger’ sports-racing cars, topped by the Goodwood-winning McLaren M1B of Chris Goodwin and the Lola T70 Spyder of Jon Minshaw.

Ranged against the V8 monsters in the Guards Trophy sports-racing field is the Donington winning Ginetta G16 of Graeme Dodd and a gaggle of Chevrons. In the GT section, which has its own 40-minute race on Saturday afternoon, a gaggle of Jaguar E-types will take on the TVR Griffiths.

More GT cars of the early 1960s will be in action in Sunday’s opening race, the hour-long GT and Sports Car Cup race. From a 40-car field, Jon Minshaw will start as the man to beat and his opposition centres on more E-types, notably those of Chris Scragg/Matt Nicoll-Jones and Jeremy Welch/Mark Pangborn.

Continuing the sports car theme is the weekend’s opening race for the HSCC 70s Road Sports Championship. Defending champion Oliver Ford is the man to beat in his Lotus Europa, but the Silverstone GP circuit should play to the strengths of Julian Barter (TVR 3000M) and Peter Shaw (TVR Tuscan).

The HSCC Historic Road Sports Championship shares a grid with the FISCAR series for 50s sports cars and the result is a near-capacity field of 56 cars. In the Road Sports, the rumbling Morgan Plus 8s will relish the chance to stretch their Rover V8 engines as Richard Plant takes on Bruce Stapleton, Roddie Feilden and Thruxton winner Robin Pearce. A wonderful array of cars will contest the FISCAR element of the half-hour race including Jonathan Abecassis, grandson of former period racer George, in an Austin Healey 100/4.

Racing both days are contenders in the Martini Trophy for the 2-litre sports-racing cars of the 1970s. What the field may lack in overall quantity, it certainly makes up in quality and it is Graeme Dodd who heads the entry in the Chevron B31 most recently raced to good effect by his son James. Other quick Chevrons include those of Julian Hire (B26) and Andrew Schryver (B23), while Mark Richardson runs his ex-Jo Bonnier Lola T290. However, the major threat to Dodd could be Robert Oldershaw in his non-winged Lola T212.

A first class line-up of single-seater racing starts on Saturday with a round of the HSCC Historic Formula Ford Championship. A superb 36-car field is headed by Benn Simms (Jomo JMR7) and rising stars Max Bartell and Michael O’Brien in Merlyns.

Half a dozen Formula 5000s top the Derek Bell Trophy field for a pair of races on Sunday, including 1970s category ace Ian Ashley (Lola T330), but they will be hard pressed to contain the quickest of the 1600cc and 2-litre cars and it is the March 79B of Richard Evans that stands out.

A fine field will assemble for the Historic Formula Ford 2000 Championship race, which also includes a round of the URS Classic Formula Ford 2000 Championship. Ian Pearson (Van Diemen RF83) is the benchmark in the newer cars, while Benn Simms (Royale RP30) and Andrew Park (Reynard SF81) are among the front-running drivers from the HSCC category.

The HSCC Classic Racing Car Championship and the HSCC Historic Formula 3 Championship join together for a race on Sunday and it is hard to see anyone matching the pace of multiple champion Ian Jones in his Lotus 59. Leading 1-litre F3 exponents are Steve Seaman (Brabham BT21), Steve Smith (Chevron B15), Peter Thompson (Brabham BT21) and Benn Simms in what should be his first race in his rebuilt Elfin 600.

With a 40-car field, the HSCC/FJHRA Millers Oils Historic Formula Junior Championship round will maintain the quality of the programme. A fabulous entry promises a mighty race and includes the return of former champion Jon Milicevic (Cooper T59) to take on drivers like Callum Grant, David Methley, Andrew Hibberd, Peter Morton, Michael Hibberd and Jack Woodhouse.

Finally, a round of the HSCC ByBox Historic Touring Car Championship adds the tin-top element to this fine programme. Reigning champion Tim Davies (Lotus Cortina) is the man to beat but can expect a big challenge from the similar car of Mike Gardiner and the Ford Mustangs of Mike Whitaker and Peter Hallford.

On Saturday qualifying is from 9am, with the first of six races at 13.30.
On Sunday qualifying is from 9am, with the first of eight races at 11.50.